NASA said Orion is capable of taking astronauts further into deep space than any other spacecraft in history.

"It's our destiny," said Cabana. "We learn so much. We are a world leader because of our exploration in space."

Orion is years away from actually taking flight. There is still plenty of work that needs to be done. And all that work will be done at the Space Center, making Orion the first-ever spacecraft built entirely at Cape Canaveral.

"The thrusters will be mounted outside, computers inside," explained Mark Geyer, the Orion program manager. "There's a lot of cables that'll be installed. Then we'll put on a structure that allows us to put on the tiles and the heat shield underneath it."

That work will take years to complete. NASA expects to begin Orion's unmanned space voyages in 2014. They hope to have astronauts on board by 2021. The eventual goal is to reach Mars by 2030.